Homegrown National Park

09/18/2026

Some ways of handling your leaves help. Others hurt. Where do you fall on this list?

Leaving your leaves where they fall does the most good. It's the richest habitat for overwintering insects, toads, and salamanders, while feeding your soil.

Bagging, burning, or trashing does the opposite. It removes both the habitat and the nutrients your yard needs.

Everything in between still counts. Even one step up this list helps.

Full guide at the link in comments.

08/07/2026

A little reminder about what planting native contributes to

Lawns are ecological dead zones. They cause pollution, create habitat loss, reduce biodiversity, waste water, and cause so many other problems with no payoff.

So what does a native yard do that lawns simply could never?

SO MUCH!

Here are some examples:
⛈ Stormwater management
🏡 Home insulation
💪 Climate resilience
🍄 Healthy soil
🐦 Wildlife habitat
☁ Air quality improvement
🦋 Pollinator breeding grounds
♻ A living ecosystem
🪟 Privacy
🪧 Awareness
🌎 Land restoration
🍂 Carbon sequestration
🌻 Biodiversity
💚 & so much more

My native yard contributes so much for so many living things. It makes me proud and grateful for what Nature provides.

07/29/2026

Backyard Bounty keeps setting the pace on the Homegrown National Park Map, 336 habitats and counting, more than any other organization we track.

Edamarie and her team bring the same energy to native habitat restoration and stewardship that they bring to everything else: real expertise, real impact, and real passion.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbMWs6sh0u_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

07/07/2026

The New York Times spent days on the Pennsylvania property of our co-founder, Doug Tallamy — 10 acres, 1,370 moth species, and the idea behind our name: Homegrown National Park.

The piece doesn't stop there. It also digs into where the native plant movement gets pushback, and where non-natives still have a role in a garden. Good, honest read if you want the full picture.

The native plant movement gets a lot right, but there’s so much more to consider.

06/30/2026

Using the bucket of doom instead of mosquito fogging is becoming the new normal for mosquito control. Thank you to Cottage Life for covering it: tens of thousands of buckets now across the U.S. and Canada, decorated with flowers and pollinators, doing the work fogging can't — fighting mosquitoes without harming dragonflies, birds, pets, or kids.

It's set to be a bad summer for biting bugs, but happily, a DIY mosquito dunk can help keep the biters at bay

06/25/2026

What's been your experience with planting native and property value? Are you concerned about what happens to your plants after you sell your home?